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We all have a vision of the typical bus company, slowly moving people from place to place, going through the motions and showing a lot of fatigue.

Some of the elements that make an organization feel like a bus company:

Aging equipment in need of a functional and design refresh

Tired staff, punching the time clock

By the book mentality, with no room for humanity or initiative

Treating all customers the same (poorly) and knowing (and caring) little or nothing about them

Acting like a monopoly, with no easy substitutes in sight

Lack of eye contact (between employees or customers)

Attitude that tomorrow will be just like today

No one to complain to, and if you persist, you'll get a form letter

American Airlines has officially become a bus company, without a doubt. On a recent non-flight (it got canceled) all of these elements occurred. Only one (1) act of human initiative would have made a huge difference.

More and more, I'm seeing bus company behavior from previously great organizations. It's a symptom of companies (and cultures) under long-term stress. These are all traits that occur when you allow standards to erode, when you embrace the status quo and when management gives up. You don't need lots of money or squadrons of people to change this, you just need to care.

Ironically, there are new bus companies that are proving that there's always a way to avoid this fate.